HR&A Advisors, Inc. with Cooper, Robertson & Partners
New York

Revitalize and Strengthen the Bay to Beach Corridor

Flooding in and around this critical commercial corridor for the Rockaways during Sandy was severe. Like other barrier islands, flooding came from both the ocean and the bay. While much wave action from the ocean was dissipated by beach protections, bay flooding severely impacted much of the corridor.

Beach 116^th Street can become a resilient goods hub for local residents and a shopping, dining, and hospitality destination for visitors through projects including: temporary and permanent measures to protect merchandise and equipment in street-level businesses; rear lot expansions to provide additional elevated space during flooding; a “shift” development of retail from the bay edge to a municipal parking lot; replacing bay-side retail with a wetland park to strengthen the edge; and new elevated commercial development in and around the MTA train station at the level of the train platform. An innovative resiliency fund seeded with federal funds and incorporating Community Reinvestment Act capital from financial institutions would support these improvements as well as a newly-formed merchants’ association.